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super simple wedding food

While effort in the kitchen certainly shows, some of the most celebrated items on a wedding buffet can often be the simplest.

stuffed crescent rolls

One of the easiest things you can do for finger-food at a wedding is just to stuff bread with a tasty filling and pop it in the oven. Canisters of those flaky, easy-bake Pillsbury Crescent rolls are a great solution for an easy finger food. Before you roll them up, just spread on whatever pre-cooked items you’d like (preferably in a non-bulky form, like a puree), roll it up and cook it for the prescribed time on the package. Make sure the rolls are labeled as to what’s inside, so folks aren’t surprised.

As a finishing touch, you can glaze the outside of the rolls with a mixture of spices and olive oil (or butter, depending on the recipe).

seafood

For a seafood treat, stuff the rolls with a small cut of smoked salmon, a little mayo, chopped green onions and pepper.

vegetarian

Vegetarians will enjoy a sundried tomato pesto spread inside their stuffed crescent rolls. Get a pre-made store brand, or make your own by pureeing sundried tomatoes, olive oil, basil and pine nuts.

for the carnivores

Cook up a mixture of caramelized onions, your choice of ground beef or pork and a batch of tomato sauce, gravy or teriyaki glazes. Stuff it in a crescent, heat it and watch your guests enjoy. Throw in some sautéed mushrooms for a little variety.

Also, a great favorite is a variation on pigs in a blanket. Instead of wrapping it around a hotdog, find a pre-cooked morning or English sausage you enjoy.

cheat, cheat, cheat

It is quite possible these days to make up an entire buffet of foods that actually came from the frozen section in the supermarket. Unfortunately, most brands aren’t consistent when it comes to frozen foods, so just because you like one item from a frozen food brand, it doesn’t mean that they excel with other items. If you’re going to try to get away with serving pre-packaged frozen items, you’ll want to have tried each item before committing to buying in bulk.

Fresh is always better, but sometimes it isn’t an option when you’re short on time and money. To cut costs on both without losing class appeal, make a few items from fresh ingredients, make sure they’re memorable and then put some filler items on the buffet, or in the hors d’oeuvres.

One way to create the illusion of a prepared-from-scratch meal item is to throw a few shredded fresh herbs over the top. If there’s one thing my mother-in-law taught me about entertaining, it’s this: if it’s good enough, no-one will know how much trouble you didn’t go to, if you don’t tell them.